PREP - Module 10.5

Transforming Research into Results:

Skills & Outcomes to Build as an RA

Becoming an Undergraduate Research Assistant is more than just a line on your resume; it is a structured professional development opportunity designed to bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world application.

I. What You Will Do: Common RA Tasks

Students often ask, "What type of tasks does an undergraduate assistant perform?". While every lab is different, most RAs engage in:

Literature Reviews: Searching for and synthesizing existing research to help inform new study designs.
Data Collection & Management: Assisting with surveys, interviews, or lab experiments and ensuring data is accurately entered and organized.
Participant Interaction: Recruiting and screening participants, often providing the first point of contact for the research study.
Independent Projects: Depending on the lab, there may be opportunities to lead a sub-portion of a study or develop an independent project under faculty guidance.

II. What You Will Gain: Essential Skills for Success

You don’t always need prior research experience to start, but you will leave with a highly marketable skill set.

Data Literacy: Learning how to interpret complex information and use specific software or tools for analysis.
Project Management: Balancing research tasks with a full course load, ROTC, or full-time employment builds elite time-management skills.
Professional Communication and Collaboration: Learning to present findings and collaborate with a team of researchers and mentors.
Critical Thinking & Specialization: Identifying which areas or topics within psychology align with your specific career goals or specialties.

III. The "Return on Investment": Tangible Outcomes

To ensure you are not just "free labor," we prioritize clear goals that we set together at the beginning of your time with the research group, conduct periodic check-ins on these goals, and there are several avenues to earn credit for your work.

Academic Credit: Some RA positions can be taken for course credit, which may be integrated into your degree plan even while completing other requirements like internships.
Mentorship: RAs receive direct guidance from lead researchers. Faculty offering to mentor students are committed to ensuring online students receive the same quality of mentorship as those on campus.
Evaluation & Feedback: Your work is evaluated based on reliability, attention to detail, and growth, providing you with a clear sense of your progress.
Letters of Recommendation: Working closely with a professor allows them to write a detailed, personal letter for graduate school or job applications that a standard classroom setting cannot provide.

IV. "But I Don't Want to be a Researcher..."

Even if research does not interest you as a career path, the skills you gain are universal. Employers in every field value individuals who can:

Systematically solve problems.
Manage complex data sets.
Work independently on long-term projects and collaborate effectively with teams.
Understand the "why" behind human behavior and decision-making.
Clearly communicate ideas with different audiences and stakeholders.

V. Strategies for Fitting Research into your Life

You likely have numerous responsibilities (e.g., employment, childcare, family responsibilities, military responsibilities, etc.) in addition to your courses. The good news is that there are many options to pursue research opportunities that fit within your life:

Paid opportunities. Some RA positions may be compensated through work-study programs or other funding opportunities. Ask your professor about paid positions.
Course credit. Some RA positions can count for academic credit. This means you can dedicate time each week to the research experience instead of another elective course in your degree program. Ask your professor about these options sometimes called research internships or independent studies.
Time commitments. Research commitments may range from volunteering for just a few hours per week (e.g., 2 hours) to a paid 20 hours per week job. If you are limited in your ability to commit time to the RA position, ask your professor if there are options that will allow you to participate a few hours per week.
Online vs in-person. Fixed vs. flexible schedules. RA tasks can range from entirely in-person tasks to entirely online tasks. Some tasks may need to be done at specific times during typical work hours, while other tasks are flexible in when they can be accomplished (e.g., work can be done during evenings and weekends). Ask your professor about options that fit your circumstances.
Open communication. All of the above options will require you to have an open conversation about your capacity and the fit with the research conducted in that lab. While not all labs may be the right fit for you, if you talk with a number of professors about their research and lab requirements, you are likely to find one that does fit. Moreover, as your capacity and circumstances change, be sure to openly communicate with your professor to determine how you can continue building skills and experience.

Begin the Search for an RA role: To find out which professors are currently performing research or to view faculty profiles, visit the list of faculty on your university’s webpage and click on their profiles to see which research interests you. The next step is to send an email to faculty with whom you are interested in working.